It's a sickness...686+ S&W 7 shot with 4" bbl

A S&W revolver is like a Sam Adams beer: "Always a good decision" (though I must admit that I've never cared for Sam Adams all that much).

Next thing you know, you'll have to add other frames sizes like the perfectly balanced K-Frame

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S&W Model 66-2 .357 Magnum

Or my personal favorites, the hefty N-Frames

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S&W Model 28-2 .357 Magnum

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S&W Model 21-4 .44 Special
 
My pics of my 686 are coming. I've also got to get out and shoot it tomorrow. Cleaned it this past Sunday afternoon and took it out with a box of .38spl and and box of 35mag to put it through its paces and just as I was loading it with the 38s it started raining and quite hard. I ended up just shooting the 38s and packing up and going inside. My trigger finger is gettin' itchy!
 
BCDWYO: All of those revolvers are very nice but I'm especially taken by the 581 Model with the 2.5" after-market barrel and round butt. Looks to be a superb carry revolver. Who did the barrel work and which barrel is it, if I might ask?
 
Didn't like 686+

I didn't like it because I'm used to counting my shots and didn't like having something that felt like a 6-shot K frame but had one extra. I was afraid that I'd get confused one day (nobody gets points for confusing me, it's too easy). OK, so that is a purely personal thing. I love my K frames, J frames and N Frames, but it's easy for me to "feel" that I have my J frame and count to 5 or K and N where I count to 6. Seven just kept feeling weird.
 
Seven just kept feeling weird.
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If in the admittedly unlikely event that you ever really need a seventh round in the defense of your life, my guess is the last thing you will "feel" is weird-you'll feel blessed if you have it and cursed (if not dead) if you don't. :eek:
 
Finally, pics of my 686

Got out to shoot my stainless beauty and take some pics this afternoon. The last pic is of the target I shot at with my first rounds out of the Smith 686. As you can see I was shooting low (don't know why but I have a tendency to shoot low) and the sharp eyed individuals will notice there are only 12 shots. The first two 38spl rounds hit low and off the paper, I did walk it in closer to the bull as I continued to empty the gun. I shot 7 38spls and 7 357mags with the mag rounds shot last. I'll adjust the sights after I shoot a few more more rounds to see if my point of impact stays low.
The distance was 30 feet and shot 2 handed off hand.
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There is an interesting article in American Handgunner Magazine about "point of aim vs point of impact" It seem that most handguns will shoot low when using the more popular lighter weight bullets that are commonly available for target practice. They have less recoil and exit the barrel quicker than the heavier weight bullets that the guns are sighted it to at the factory. That's my excuse and I am sticking with it.;)
 
What weight bullets were you using? Most S&W .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers that I've shot come regulated for 158gr bullets as that's the standard weight for both of those cartridges.
 
Webleymkv,
Interesting, I will have to get some heavier cartridges and see what happens. It seems that everything I have is on the light side. That is what is mostly available in the stores around here. Of course I need to get out and really run that 686 though its paces and get used to it.
 
It's the most wonderful gun ... love my 7-shot, put Trausch grips on and it's a joy to shoot, even full house .357s ... probably the first gun I'd save ... a great choice ....
 
I just brought my 686+ home last week and have it sitting ready to be cleaned after it's first range day Tuesday morning (this morning is cleaning day). I found it very accurate, however I had a little problem with the function. The gun was a little "sticky" advancing on one of the cylinders. Enough so that I'll clean it up and take it back for another range session before I deem it "reliable" and leave it loaded in one of the locking gun boxes in my home for PD.

Out of the box, the SA trigger was acceptable...and I look forward to it breaking in a bit (I had a 586 back in grad school that got really smooth as it got over 1k rounds).

Unfortunately for me, my obsession is with Colt's "snake" revolvers and 1911's - both much more spendy than the 2 Smith's I have (the 686+ and 340PD).
 
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